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The Wilkes-Barre Firefighters union will protest the layoff of 11 firefighters outside City Hall on Tuesday morning, saying the cuts have endangered the safety of both firefighters and residents.
"The less guys we have to fight a fire in the initial stages of a fire, the more dangerous it is to us and the residents," said firefighter Shawn Williams, who serves as vice predient of public relations for the Wilkes-Barre Firefighters Association Local 104.
Williams said the layoffs will also be costly, estimating the city will be required to pay nearly 80 overtime shifts in December. He said the city laid off the department's younger firefighters who were scheduled to work over the holidays while older employees were on vacation, further exacerbating the problem.
Mike Bilski, president of the Firefighters Association, said the department required three overtime shifts since Saturday, when the layoffs went into effect. City officials did not immediately respond to questions regarding the overtime.
Department rules require a minimum of 11 firefighters to work per shift. After this year's 11 layoffs and five retirements, the department is down to 53 firefighters.
The city laid off the firefighters on Thursday, citing an estimated $2 million budget deficit caused by an outstanding tax payment from former county collector Centax and an overall decline in revenue. The city said it hopes to rehire the employees but did not give any details on when that could happen.
The city also laid off three employees from the Department of Public Works. So far, no police officers have been cut.
Williams said the protest will begin around 8:45 a.m. Tuesday. He expects nearly 25 firefighters to attend.